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Snapshots of Brown: The Olympics

It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words. While that may be true, there is also a lot of value in the story behind the picture. Let Snapshots of Brown with Corrine Szczesny introduce you to the majestic college campus and deep-rooted traditions of Brown University.

Over the course of the next two weeks the Olympics will be the focus for many Americans. On Friday, the Class Board hosted an Olympics Opening Ceremony viewing party in Petteruti Lounge. While the Opening Ceremony was shown on a giant projector screen, student cultural groups set up booths and sold food from around the world. This event got me thinking about Brown and the Olympics.

It should not be surprising that Brown graduates are no strangers to the Olympics. There are several Brown alumni who have won medals in various sports at both the Summer and the Winter Olympics. One of the first Brown students to win an Olympic medal was Norman Taber (Class of 1913), who was a member of the gold medal winning 3000 meter relay team in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm. At the summer games of 1928, Albina Osipowich Van Aiken (Class of 1933) won two gold medals in freestyle swimming. Helen Johns Carroll (Class of 1936) was another gold medal winning Brown alumna in freestyle swimming; she won a gold medal at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Over the years, there have been several other Olympic medal winners who have attended Brown University. Some recent Olympians include Katie King (Class of 1997) and Kathleen Kauth (Class of 2001), who are both ice hockey players, and Alicia Sacramone (Class of 2010), who won a silver medal with the U.S. Gymnastics team in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

So, not only does Brown University have a rich academic history, its alumni also have a long standing history of success in Olympic events.

Email me your suggestions or any questions you have about life at Brown at corrine_szczesny@brown.edu.